Code Lyoko II
by FoREVer Nightwing
Summary: Rewrite of a project started two years ago on deviantART. Has nothing to do with Evolution! Act VII: "I didn't need an explanation, you know."
1. Act I: Awakening

**A/N: *In annoying Spongebob voice* Hello world and all who inhabit it! /shot/**

**Okay... so this is a project I started two years ago, then dropped it, read through it two years later, and decided to rewrite it. If any of you remember me on my first deviantART account, then you know what I'm talking about... the little shit that was originally Code Lyoko II... which caused me to write more fanfiction.**

**So, as I said, I've rewritten it. Why? Well, it came from the mind of a thirteen-year-old seventh grader who had nothing better to do and forgot her trombone at school... yep... me. After two years, I was crying from how terrible and OOC it was. I'm aware that this is still OOC, but at least I don't have a Naruto or Death Note refrence every other line like the original one did.**

**Also, the last Code Lyoko fic I wrote was... well... two years ago. So, this is probably one of the few Code Lyoko fics you'll see out of me before I go back to Young Justice. Just a warning.**

**lol. Long intro is long.**

**OH! ALMOST FORGOT! Since I don't have that much information on Evolution just yet, assume that XANA really was shut down and that Evolution doesn't exist... like I said, this project started two years ago, and Evolution was just a rumor then.**

* * *

**Code Lyoko II**

**Written by FoREVer Nightwing**

* * *

**Act I- Awakening**

_~The Supercomputer may have been shut down, and XANA might be gone… but XANA was only the beginning… the real war starts here!~_

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

The cold air blew viciously around the desolate land. There's a palace in the distance, ravaged and lonely. Not one person would dare walk into the palace… or so it would seem. A single cloaked figure walks with purpose towards the castle. Nothing except the figure's footsteps could be heard over the wind.

The figure stopped at the door. The door had no know, nor knocker. One would think that the figure would turn and leave, but they don't. Instead, a hand is placed on the door. "Open." The figure says. The door obeys the figure, and it steps inside.

Inside is a long hallway with portraits and a faded red carpet. The figure walks through the halls, knowing its way through the labyrinth. It walks up a long, winding staircase to a balcony above what could have been a ballroom. In the room are monsters. Some are rusted over; others are covered in dirt and grime.

The figure stands there and waits for silence. It never comes. So, it yells as loud as it can. Then, and only then, it is quiet, and all eyes are on the figure.

The figure removes the cloak, and reveals herself. She has pale, snow-white skin and ice-blue eyes. Her ebony hair is long and silky. She is dressed in shades of blue and white. There is a small white rose hairpin pinned in her hair, and a silver necklace with a sapphire snowflake.

"You have all given up without a fight. I am disappointed. You were made to fight to the death, and come out of this victorious. You have not, and for that, I am ashamed. The outside world could've been ours, but it is not. Why? You were destroyed, and your master, XANA, was locked away for eternity. The most pathetic part of it was the fact that they were children. And now, your leader is gone, expelled from Lyoko. However… this also benefits me. I will do what XANA failed to do. I will be known throughout history in Lyoko and the outside world alike as a great and powerful empress! As of now, Lyoko believes I am the benevolent and rational Lady Xanadu of the Ice Kingdom, but they do not know of what I've done these past few years. They know not of my great knowledge of the once great and powerful XANA, nor of my knowledge of this sector. XANA's time is over, and has been for years! The Lyoko Warriors believe they have won the war. They are naive to think so. The Supercomputer may have been shut down, and XANA might be gone… but XANA was only the beginning… the real war starts here!"

She smirks, "For starters, I will need knights for my kingdom… and who better than the Lyoko Warriors themselves?" Lady Xanadu then holds up her hands and says, "Rise, shadowy incarnations of the Lyoko Warriors!"

Fire, ice, earth, wind, and space formed spheres in front of her on the balcony. The sphere of fire formed a girl dressed in various shades of green. She had green hair and black wrist-length gloves. She had demonic wings and soulless, pale pink eyes. The ice formed a boy wearing shades of blue and white. He had pale blue hair with white highlights. In his hands were various stones and his eyes were a cold red colour. The wind formed a boy in shades of green and blue, with cat ears and claws. His hair and eyes were light green. The earth formed a girl in black, white, and blue. Her hair was white and her eyes were a deep purple color. Finally, the space material formed a boy dressed in black, white, and red. His hair was a dirty blonde colour and his eyes were a lazy and dull blue.

"It is time for you to prove yourselves. Go. Eradicate them all. Prove to me that you will make perfect, loyal knights." Lady Xanadu said.

* * *

_**Paris, France- Kadic Academy**_

"Three years… can you believe it, Yumi?"

"It's crazy, Aelita… but we adjusted to it pretty quickly, didn't we?" Yumi said. She pushed some of her long black bangs out of her face.

"And yet, we won't stop talking about it." Ulrich said, "Lyoko's gone, and chances are we won't be seeing it again anytime soon." He pushed himself off of the tree he was leaning on.

Odd said, "Y'know, part of me still wishes that we hadn't deactivated Lyoko. I miss playing superhero!"

"There was this freakin' sweet thrill, being a superhero… or in my case, a villain, but still…" William said. He turned his attention to Ulrich, "I was recently fired at my job over at Spencer's… you think you could get your grandma to get me a job at her café?"

Ulrich smirked, "Only if you can stand me bossing you around."

William sighed, "Are you serious?"

"Do you want a job?"

"Yes…"

"I'll ask her, then."

"So, anyway…" Aelita said, "I've been having these weird dreams… y'know, about Lyoko."

"You too?" Ulrich asked. "Yes." Aelita replied. "Has anyone else been having these dreams?" Ulrich asked, looking at his friends. Yumi, Odd, and William nodded.

"Something here's just not right." Yumi said, "I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling it has something to do with the supercomputer."

"You're probably right." William said, "I don't know how or why, but I think the supercomputer may have been reactivated."

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

Parts of the monsters are scattered around the large, open room. Lady Xanadu floats down from the balcony above and inspects the damage.

"I am impressed. Only the most savage, black-hearted beings could do such things. You have proven yourselves, a feat few are able to accomplish." Lady Xanadu says.

A word is not spoken between the clones. "Ah, yes… you are unable to speak. Once you are given a name, and an updated look, you will be able to talk."

Lady Xanadu approached the girl with green hair first. "Your hunger for power is great. I do not need my psychic abilities to see this. You are Gluttony." She waved her hand, and Gluttony's outfit changed. Her outfit became a torn green cropped top, a tattered green skirt with light green leggings, and green boots. Her hair grew to her shoulders and was pulled back by a ragged green bow. Her demonic wings turned green and grew.

Next, Lady Xanadu advanced onto the ice clone. "You took out XANA's monsters without a second thought. You made them cry out in pain. This will be a skill needed to break people. You are Wrath." She waved her hand, and, like Gluttony, Wrath's outfit changed. Wrath's outfit became a white shirt with blue accents, a ragged black jacket with similar blue accents, black pants, and rusted silver boots. He had white goggles on top of his head that had red lenses.

Then, Lady Xanadu moved on to the wind clone. "Your attacks were flashy, and you chose to show off rather than truly fight. However, you still got the job done. You are Pride." With a wave of her hand, Pride's outfit changed. Pride's outfit morphed into a dilapidated red and blue sleeveless jacket, white belt, blue and red tattered bell-bottoms, and white boots with savage-looking claws. His hands morphed into paws, and they had those same savage-looking claws, and his ears morphed into blue cat ears. His face took a cat-like look to it.

After this, Lady Xanadu approached the earth clone. "The monsters would not attack you… it seems your looks distracted them. You used the power of seduction to fight your battles. You are Lust." Once again, with a wave of her hand, Lust's attire changed. Her outfit changed into a revealing long-sleeved white dress, long white boots, and black holsters on her thighs for her fans.

Finally, Lady Xanadu came to the space clone. "I wasn't all that impressed by your abilities… in fact, you didn't do much. However, not everyone can wield a Zweihander as skillfully as you did. You are Sloth." With a final wave of her hand, Sloth's suit morphed. His bodysuit changed into a long, white and blue jacket that revealed his upper torso, white pants, and blue boots. He had blue fingerless gloves over long white gloves.

"You are the Cardinal Vices, my Dark Lyoko Warriors. You are my knights for my new kingdom. When I take over Lyoko, you will all be given what you want. All I ask in return is your undying loyalty, and your promise to eradicate your counterparts… in fact, they will make their way here… I'm sure of it.

* * *

**A/N: *cries* GODDAMN IT, WHY CAN'T I WRITE DECENT STORIES?! You probably hate me for this right now... and I don't blame you... I hate myself too...**

**Any of you remember Garage Kids? Recognize Xanadu? Well, Lady Xanadu was inspired by that. Lyoko was originally to be called Xanadu. (Pfft, Ulrich's pants...)**

**So... another chapter? Scrap it? Kill it with fire? What do you guys think..?**

**~FoREVer Nightwing**


	2. Act II: Successor

**A/N: I found this chapter hard to write... kinda like how I had a difficult time getting through _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_. (I don't know why, but that's my least favorite book in the series... I like the rest, though...)**

**Sorry... off topic.**

**Hopefully, this chapter will answer any questions you had/should be asking. Of course, this will only bring up more questions...**

* * *

**Act II- Successor**

_~XANA was never able to do this… this just proves how strong I truly am.~_

* * *

_**Paris, France- Cohen Residence**_

To make sure nobody overheard their conversation about Lyoko, the group thought it'd be best if they went to Ulrich's room at his grandmother's house. Since Ulrich had gotten annoyed with Kiwi, he decided to accept the offer his grandmother, Lillie Cohen, made about a week before their break from school had ended. There were other perks to this as well- no Sissi, none of Odd's all night gaming marathons, and he had the room to himself. His grandmother never came into his room, and Axel, the German Shepard he recently adopted from the shelter, was the only other living thing sharing the room. And, unlike Kiwi, the dog knew when to shut up.

Ulrich's room was standard sized, with red walls and black carpet. He had posters of various bands and artists, including bands and artists from this century such as Evanescence, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Emilie Autumn, and My Chemical Romance, and bands and artists from the previous such as The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, the Beetles, and the Smashing Pumpkins. In addition to the posters of musicians, he had posters of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Arkham City, and Mortal Kombat. In the corner, there stands a drum set, a keyboard, and various instrument cases. There's a large wooden desk with a boom box and a CD rack standing beside the desk.

"Really? You have David Bowie CDs?" Odd asked, pulling out a copy of _The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars_ from the CD rack. Ulrich snatched the CD away and said, "Don't look through my stuff, Odd. Anyway, if it weren't for this guy, you wouldn't have Lady Gaga music."

"Are we done talking about David Bowie and Lady Gaga? If so, could we please set up the video chat with Jeremie now?" William asked, sitting down on the stool next to the drum set.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, William." Ulrich said, setting up the laptop, "And I swear to God, if you break my drum set, you'll have a drumstick up your ass." William scooted the stool back, being careful not to touch the drum set.

"Alright… video chat's set up. Hopefully Einstein's on his computer." Ulrich said. As if on cue, Jeremie's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" Jeremie asked.

"There's something weird happening here, Jeremie." Aelita said.

Jeremie's smile disappeared immediately. "Define 'weird' Aelita."

"The five of us have been having these dreams… about Lyoko." Aelita said.

"Without a doubt, this is the strangest thing to happen to us yet. How the hell are we having the same dreams? I thought Aelita was the one with the connection to Lyoko." Odd said.

Jeremie crossed his arms. "That **is **weird. And I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Since when do we think things are coincidences? Since we've first gone to Lyoko, every little thing out of the ordinary has been approached with caution. Even after we shut down the supercomputer, we've been careful. Now, three years later, this happens? I bet XANA was just playing dead." Yumi said.

"It's a possibility." Jeremie said, "A very slim possibility, but it's possible nonetheless."

"So… we're going to investigate it, aren't we?" Yumi asked.

"…Yes."

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

"Next on the list- an army." Lady Xanadu said. She turned to her Dark Lyoko Warriors. "You will each be in charge of a small army of monsters that have been adapted to survive your respective sectors. They will have quite the unfair advantage on your counterparts."

Lady Xanadu walked into the surveillance room. There were several screens in the room, each showing a specific part of Lyoko. Underneath the largest screen were five containment pods, each with a large stone in it. The pods were labeled in a language only she knew.

"These pods contain a stone from each of the sectors, courtesy of the prototypes I made before they malfunctioned. These stones are precious… they contain the information from the sector they were taken to allow the monsters to learn and adapt. The sapphire from the ice sector, the emerald from the forest, the amethyst from the desert, the topaz from the mountains, and the onyx from Carthage will all create cutting-edge monsters with no visible weakness." With a wave of her hand, the stones shattered into much smaller pieces.

Lady Xanadu approached the table at the center of the room; she bit down on her index finger and drew blood, which was a silver colour. She drew out five pentagrams, each with a XANA symbol in the center, onto the table and set a few shards of each stone into the center of each one. She chanted an incantation in a language unknown to even the Dark Lyoko Warriors, which caused both the pentagrams and shards of stone to glow.

She repeated the incantation, her voice growing louder and louder and louder, eventually echoing through the room. The final time the incantation was chanted, the shards were shot into the air and the soft glow turned into a blinding light. The shards floated over to the other side of the room and formed monsters.

The shards formed different monsters. One of these monsters was graceful and had a feminine look to it. The creature had long, flowing blue hair and lighter blue skin, a deep blue cropped top with the XANA symbol, and a blue-green mermaid tail. It had a silver belt and a silver trident, both with a XANA symbol. The trident also had the sapphire shard embedded into it. The second monster was large and with white fur, and it resembled a wolf. On its forehead was a XANA symbol and the sapphire was fixed into a metal plate on its chest, which also had a XANA symbol. The third monster was a large tan bird made of sand. The amethyst was embedded into its head in the center of a XANA symbol. The fourth was a large, spider-like creature with XANA eyes scattered all around its body. The amethyst was embedded into the largest eye, which was at the very top of its body. The fifth was a feminine, elfin-like creature with a snake tail and six pupiless green eyes. It brandished two large swords, each with a XANA symbol. Its emerald was fixed into the tiara on its head. The sixth was a large, deer-like beast with sharp antlers. The XANA symbol was on its chest and the emerald fixed into a gold collar. The seventh was a grey ogre with gigantic horns and terrible breath. It held a large spiked club with the XANA symbol. The topaz was fixed to the black iron belt it wore. The eighth monster was a black and red dragon with the XANA symbol on its chest. The topaz was between its pupiless silver eyes. The ninth monster was a silver, robotic, and feminine creature. The XANA symbol was on its chest and gauntlets, and the onyx embedded into its forehead. The final monster was one known to the Dark Lyoko Warriors- the Scyphozoa. However, its appearance was slightly different. The orb on the top of its body had black mist swirling around inside of it. The onyx is inside the orb, protected by the mist.

"These monsters, of course, can be used in other sectors… they just have an advantage in sectors that their stones correspond to. They only obey their generals, and of course, myself. They will copy themselves, the exception being the Scyphozoa, since its power is nearly infinite, and will not be destroyed easily. In fact, I simply made some adjustments to the one XANA has already created." Lady Xanadu said.

"You said these monsters had no weaknesses." Sloth remarked, "But they all have the eyes of XANA. That… that spider has them everywhere. If you ask me, they have nothing but weaknesses."

"That is where you are wrong, Sloth. The Lyoko Warriors knew that all they had to do to kill the monsters was to strike the eye of XANA. That's not the case with these creatures. The shards are their weaknesses… but they'll never get to them. It will require close combat, something only two of the five Lyoko Warriors are skilled at. They'd be awfully brave- or foolish- to come anywhere near them."

"Well, you have to admit, they've got balls." Wrath said, "Especially the samurai. By the way, you said they'd be coming. How do you know for sure? Are you stalking them or something?"

"No. Since five of the six warriors have actually been on Lyoko, I was able to give them visions of Lyoko while they slept." Lady Xanadu said, "XANA was never able to do this… this just proves how strong I truly am."

* * *

_**Paris, France- The Factory**_

"Well, this place hasn't changed much at all." Odd said.

"Look, can we just hurry this up? I seriously don't feel like dealing with this." Yumi said.

"We all feel the same way about this, Yumi." William said, "Sooner we get this over with, the better."

"I swear to god, if I'm late to work, I'll kill you all in your sleep." Ulrich muttered.

As soon as they were all in the elevator, Aelita pushed the button. The familiar squealing and screeching of the old elevator could be heard. It came to a stop at the Supercomputer Room. The second the elevator doors were opened, Ulrich ran out of the elevator to take a look with his friends on his heels.

"Well?" Yumi asked.

"It's been turned back on… but how? Why?" Ulrich asked.

"Big deal! Let's just flip the switch, turn it back off!" Odd said. He reached for the switch, but as soon as he touched it, he was electrocuted.

"Odd!"

"Looks like XANA's not going back down without a fight." Ulrich said.

* * *

**A/N: Question you should all be asking: "Why the hell does Ulrich have David Bowie CDs?"**

**Answer: 42.**

**XD I'm kidding! I like Bowie, so I thought, _Why__ not?_**

**Now... for something fun... see if you can answer this riddle. Winner gets a free one-shot! (PM me for details...)**

**"Does a cow moo while it's mooing?"**

**Hint: Look CAREFULLY through both author's notes. THE ANSWER IS SO TOTALLY UNOBVIOUS, IT'S OBVIOUS!**


	3. Act III: It's All Fun and Games

**A/N: Finally! Act III is finished! I haven't had time due to the Holiday Spectacular we're putting on at school next week... and don't expect an update until the week after next, because I have rehursals and two performances for band. Sorry!**

**Oh well... at least I'm updating...**

* * *

**Act III- It's All Fun and Games…**

~_I agree that the assistance from the NPCs would help us greatly in our fight. But… where's the fun in that?~_

* * *

_**Paris, France- Odd's Room**_

"**What?!** Odd, **please** tell me this is a joke." Jeremie said.

"'Fraid not, Jer. It was on, and when we tried to turn it back off, it _**electrocuted**_ me." Odd said, "I still smell like burnt rubber."

"Hate to break it to you, Odd, but I'm pretty sure that's your cologne." Ulrich said, not looking up from the book he was reading.

"Oh, ha, ha."

"I was really hoping that we wouldn't have to deal with this again." Jeremie said, "And I'm not there to do my thing, either…"

"Maybe you could convince your parents to transfer you back to Kadic." Aelita suggested.

"I'll give it a shot… I can't promise anything, though."

"Good luck, Einstein." Yumi said.

"Thanks, Yumi. Hopefully I'll call back with good news." Jeremie said, signing off.

After Jeremie signed off, Ulrich closed his book and stood up. "I gotta go. I've got ten minutes before my shift starts."

"Don't forget to put in a good word for me! I really need a job!" William said. Ulrich just grunted in response. He left the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

"Tch… I'm getting bored here." Wrath mumbled, "Any of you tools want to fight?"

Sloth gave Wrath a look somewhere between _I'm not stupid_ and _nothing is going to move me from this spot_ and said, "I'd rather not risk my neck fighting the psychotic mass murderer for fun. Anyway, my Zweihander is all the way over there, and I'm here, and I just don't want to get it right now."

Wrath rolled his eyes. "How 'bout you, fatty?"

Gluttony crossed her arms over her chest, a look of offence of her face. "I'll have you know, I'm **not** fat! I have a great metabolism! Anyway, I'm hungry, and making a snack out of your powers would be ideal. Unfortunately, your powers smell awfully sour, while I prefer something sweet. Maybe some other time I'll make a meal of you."

"Maybe the slut wants to fight?"

Lust scoffed, "Oh, you did not just say that! You just wish you could get with this!" She gestured at her body, "And no, I don't want to fight. I just did my hair!"

Wrath sighed, "Please tell me you want to fight, Pride."

Pride crossed his arms and tapped his foot. _Hmm… If I defeat Wrath in a battle, I'll humiliate him. I'll be Lady Xanadu's favorite! I'll be the best! I'll lead the team!_ "Alright, fine. Let's fight!"

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

When Ulrich walks into his grandmother's café, he's greeted by the sound of _Please Mister Postman_ by the Beatles playing through the tiny building. He wasn't surprised- after all, his grandmother loved the Beatles. She'd even named the café after one of their songs. There was almost always a Beetles song playing, with the exception of Saturday nights.

The Clarabella Café was a charming place, popular to young and old alike. Perhaps it was because of the Beatles music almost constantly played the entire time. Perhaps it was because of his grandmother, Lillie Cohen, and her willingness to listen to one's troubles. Perhaps it was because of Ulrich's charming yet sarcastic personality and his outlook on political and social norms. Perhaps it had something to with the local musicians that performed Saturday nights, from skilled street musicians to students from Kadic and other nearby schools. Whatever the reason, people seemed to like it.

Ulrich's whistling along to _A Hard Day's Night_ as he's filling orders, calling out a name every couple seconds and handing a person their coffee or tea or whatever they ordered. Every few names, he'll see a classmate or a teacher, they'll talk a minute or two (the most common comment they'll make is "I didn't know you liked the Beatles!") and give them their coffee or tea or whatever they ordered and move on. It was a pretty typical shift.

"How was school today, Ulrich?" his grandmother asked.

"Eh, same old thing." Ulrich said.

"How are your friends?"

"They're good. Odd still won't switch to less overpowering cologne and William got fired… speaking of William, he wanted to know if he could get a job here."

Lillie smiled, "I don't see why not. Hope he doesn't mind listening to the Beetles most of the time. Tell him he starts Monday."

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

Pride dodges yet another strike from Wrath's katana. The cat lands a good ten feet away from him with the grace of… well, a cat. His tail swishes back and forth, his deep green eyes looking to Wrath. _Damn… If I'm not careful, he'll__** kill**__ me._ Pride stands up, laughs, and says, "Wrath, you're going to need something better than a katana to get to me! You know I fight at a distance!"

Wrath smirked. His sword disappeared into mist and was replaced by two pistols. Pride's eyes widened in surprise. "I don't think you saw that coming, right, you pompous little worm? In all honesty, I wasn't really expecting it, either… but I'll take what I can get, y'know?" Wrath aims the pistols at Pride.

He's just about to shoot when Lady Xanadu intervenes. "We will have time for fun later. Now, it is time to work." Wrath glares up at her and dismisses his pistols. "Do not look at me like that, Wrath." she says, "I call the shots around here. If you have a problem with that, I can kill you." Wrath ignores her, muttering something under his breath.

"I've finished programming the NPCs and kingdoms in each sector. They each have a mind of their own, so I do not control them. They will help the warriors or hinder them of their own free will."

"Wouldn't it be better if we controlled the NPCs?" Lust asked, "They would be able to help us take down the Lyoko Warriors."

Lady Xanadu laughs darkly. "I agree that the assistance from the NPCs would help us greatly in our fight. But… where's the fun in that?"

Wrath smirks, his red eyes glittering evilly, "I like the way you think, lady."

Lady Xanadu ignores the comment. "Time is almost upon us. We will be attacking in a matter of hours… until then, my knights. And please, try _not_ to kill each other."

* * *

**A/N: Still waiting for the answer to last chapter's riddle...**


	4. Act IV: Empty Spaces

**A/N: YES! AN UPDATE! XD**

**I'm tired of wating for an answer to the riddle from chapter two, so here's the answer: 42. IT'S NO JOKE! IT REALLY IS 42! (Don't ask why.)**

* * *

**Act IV- Empty Spaces**

~_Now, we will attack… and destroy the Lyoko Warriors.~_

* * *

_**Paris, France- Aelita's Room**_

_Call me (call me) on the line  
Call me, call me any, anytime_

Aelita mumbles something under her breath and grabs her phone, which was currently blasting her ringtone. She clears her throat and answers the phone with an overly-cheery "Hello!"

"Hey, Aelita. Sorry to call so late." Jeremie says.

"Oh, it's fine. It's just like old times." Aelita says.

Jeremie chuckles, knowing what she means. "Listen… I got my parents to transfer me back to Kadic. I'll be able to help you guys out in case XANA really has returned."

"Oh, Jeremie, that's great! I'll go call the others!"

"Uh, won't they get kinda angry?"

"They'll forgive me once they realize why I'm calling."

Jeremie gives a small laugh, "Alright… good luck with that. I'll see you sometime this week."

"Bye, Jeremie."

* * *

_**Paris, France- Odd's Room**_

Odd was in the middle of yet another all-night gaming marathon. It was getting late, but he really didn't care. He was **still** trying to get to level eight of _Kung-Fu Commando_.

_Courage is  
All it takes  
To live your dreams  
While you're awake_

The sudden sound of his ringtone causes him to fail the level miserably. Odd smacks his head against the wall, wails, and answers the phone.

"Hello. Depression speaking."

"Is there something wrong, Odd?"

"I was so close to moving on to level eight… then you called, and I failed."

Aelita pauses for a moment. "Oh. I'm sorry, Odd. But I have great news!"

"What's up?" Odd asked, forgetting all about his epic failure.

"Jeremie's transferring back to Kadic!"

"Great! Awesome! So… when'll Einstein be here?"

"Sometime this week."

"Great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go back to trying to move on to the next level of _Kung-Fu Commando._"

"Alright. See you later."

* * *

_**Paris, France- William's Room**_

_This is sorry for the last time  
And baby I understand that you're making new friends_

William was in the middle of watching _Watchmen_ (which, to his surprise, was a good movie) when his ringtone was heard. He took his cell out of his bag, reminding himself to clean it out later, and answered.

"Hi William! I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, you're fine, Aelita. I was just watching a movie, no big deal. So, what's up?"

"Jeremie got his parents to let him come back to Kadic! Isn't that great?"

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, it is!"

"Alright, well, I'm not going to keep you from your movie for much longer. See you later." Aelita said.

"Bye." William said, going back to his movie.

* * *

_**Paris, France- Ishiyama Residence**_

_Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend  
somewhere along in the bitterness_

Yumi was in the middle of finishing her science project when her ringtone almost startled her out of her work. She picks up the mobile, fully prepared to unleash her fury on the idiot that's calling her, but stops herself once the person says "Hello, Yumi!"

"Oh… hey Aelita. Look, I'm in the middle of a project right now, so could you call me later?" Yumi asked.

"It won't take long. I just had to tell you something."

"What's up?"

"Jeremie's coming back to Kadic!"

"Awesome! Now, I really have to…"

"Go ahead. See you tomorrow, Yumi!" Aelita says.

* * *

_**Paris France- Cohen Residence**_

_You know that, I'm a nightmare and I'm going crazy; you're going nowhere so  
I'm taking you with me (out of line)_

Ulrich had been sleeping pretty well until his ringtone woke him up. He blindly reached for his cell on his nightstand and grunted some unintelligible greeting.

"Ulrich?"

"Nnng, Aelita... please tell me there's a good reason behind this call…"

"Oh, there is! Jeremie's coming back to Kadic."

"…That's great Aelita… awesome…"

"I'll… I'll let you go back to sleeping now."

"That would be nice." Ulrich mumbled before hanging up.

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

Lady Xanadu stands with her knights in a dark, round room. The only source of light emits from the hologram at the center of the room. The machine producing said hologram is embedded into the floor, only revealing the lenses of the mechanism. Lady Xanadu produces a holo-keyboard with the wave of her hand and starts typing.

"I have waited a long time for this…" Lady Xanadu said, "When XANA was overthrown, I took the opportunity to take all the data he had and more. Not only do I have the data on Lyoko, Waldo Schaeffer, and the Lyoko Warriors, but I also have access to files XANA did not, including a few files and programs that Jeremie created. My knowledge of Lyoko exceeds that of XANA, now. Not only am I far more intelligent, but I am also stronger… proof of it is the fact that I created you all and the monsters from Lyoko itself."

"Are you done bragging about how great you are?" Wrath demanded, "If so, can we move on with the killing?"

"We are not at that stage yet, Wrath. Be patient." Lady Xanadu sighed. She stopped typing and a hologram appears. It is a map of Lyoko, including locations of towers, tunnels, and passageways. "You will be given a copy of each map. It will tell you easy places to set up an ambush or a place to recuperate when injured. Passage ways are alternatives to towers for transporting to separate sectors, as the Lyoko Warriors use these, and only you can get into the passages, unless Jeremie finds a way to bypass it- which, quite frankly, I'm confident will not happen. Some places, such as the southern half of the desert sector, are war zones, and are perfect for recruiting people to become soldiers- or, in our case, slaves- to assist us.

"Each of you has special abilities that the Lyoko Warriors do not have to help combat their own abilities. These abilities, in addition to those of the Lyoko Warriors, will give you an unfair advantage. Some of them, however, are skilled in adapting their fighting styles." Lady Xanadu starts typing again. The hologram changes into Ulrich's outfit in Lyoko from when XANA was shut down. "Ulrich Stern is one of them. He might not be too smart, academically speaking, but he learns quickly. He's not going to fall for the same trick twice." Lady Xanadu starts typing again, and the hologram changes again. "William Dunbar is another one. He's been possessed by XANA once before, and he learned a lot. He's not as arrogant as he once was, so it's likely that he will not get caught in the Scyphozoa's trap again."

"When are we going to do something?" Wrath demanded, "I've been patient… well, for me, anyway… and I'm getting tired of just sitting around and fighting these pansies!"

"I, for one, am happy to have this time to relax." Sloth chimed it.

"Shut up, nobody asked you!"

"Enough! Stop acting like children!" Lady Xanadu demanded. The Dark Lyoko Warriors are silent. "I will attack very soon. I still have things to do. I have one more thing to tell you all… in Lyoko, you will not call me master when I'm Lady Xanadu. Instead, you will follow my orders only when I'm in a different form." She snaps her fingers and her dress changes into a white and blue bodysuit. She now has a white belt, gloves, and boots. A XANA symbol is on the belt, boots, gloves, and chest. Her long, black hair is pinned back. In her hands is a white helmet with a XANA symbol on either side. The glass front of the helmet is tinted black with a blue XANA symbol. "In this form, you are to refer to me as XANA 2.0. In this form, I am your master. As Lady Xanadu, I am an enemy, or, at least, that's how it will look." Lady Xanadu puts the helmet on, becoming XANA 2.0.

"**Now, we will attack… and destroy the Lyoko Warriors.**"

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"Dude, I seriously have no idea how I can thank you for getting me a job." William said.

Ulrich didn't look up from the drum set, which he was currently tuning. "You can thank me by stop talking about it and helping me set up for this evening." He hit the floor tom with the drumstick, decided it sounded fine, and moved on to the snare. "This place will be packed later, and I don't feel like tuning a bass or the drum set with people shouting and screaming about the idiot singing a Justin Bieber song."

"Hey, Ulrich, where do you sign up for this thing?" Odd asked.

"There's a clipboard at the counter labeled _Saturday Night_. Just sign your name and whatever you're doing."

As Ulrich said, there was in fact a clipboard labeled _Saturday Night._ Odd grabbed the pen next to the clipboard and read through the list of acts.

_Sissi Delmas- "Starships" by Nicki Minaj_

_Emilie LeDuc- "My Immortal" by Evanescence_

_Laura Gauthier- "Alice" by Avril Lavigne on piano_

_Anais Fiquet- "Sweet Transvestite" on saxophone_

_Christophe M'Bala- "My Name Is" by Eminem_

_Ulrich Stern-_

Odd Stopped at Ulrich's name, noticing that there was nothing written in. "Hey, Ulrich? Why's nothing written into your slot?"

Ulrich stopped tuning the base to look at Odd. "I never fill it in. I let someone else choose the act."

"Why?"

"Well, when I suggested the idea to oma, and I signed up for it, I wasn't sure what to do. I left it blank, and the next day, I found someone had filled it in with a decent song. I left it blank since then, because some of the ideas are actually really good."

Ulrich went back to tuning the base, and Odd smirked. He filled in the slot next to Ulrich's and also filled in his own.

_Ulrich Stern- "Freak on a Leash" by Korn_

_Odd Della Robbia- "Bad Romance" by Artist vs Poet (Originally by Lady Gaga)_

**Ding!**

The chimes on the door rang as someone stepped into the café. Ulrich put the base down and turned around. He didn't bother looking at the door and moved behind the counter. "Hey, welcome to the Clarabella Café." He looked up at the person. "Oh, hey Jeremie!"

Aelita quickly turned around from the job she was doing. "Jeremie!" she squealed. She jumped over to him at a speed impressive to even Ulrich and gave Jeremie a bone-crushing hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, Aelita… you're kinda… kinda crushing me." Jeremie breathed out. Aelita quickly let go with an apology. "I'm just so happy to see you!" she said. "Likewise." Jeremie said, "It's great to see all of you in person… but we'll have to cut this kind of short. I launched a scan on Lyoko via my laptop and found an activated tower. XANA is attacking."

* * *

**A/N: Before anyone asks...**

**Aelita's ringtone is _Call Me_ by Blondie. I dunno why, but I thought it suited her.**

**Odd's ringtone is _Fantasyland_ by Blood on the Dance Floor. I actually think of it as Odd's character theme, since it's very hyperactive... (and I may or may not have chosen it because of the sexual stuff... lol)**

**William's ringtone is _When I Get Home, You're So Dead_ by Mayday Parade, just because William seems like he'd listen to Mayday Parade.**

**Yumi's ringtone is _How to Save a Life_ by the Fray. It just seems like the perfect song for her.**

**Ulrich's ringtone is _Ohioisonfire_by Of Mice and Men. It's a** **reference to Wrath (y'know, since Wrath is Ulrich's clone...).**

**I'm sure you all noticed the reference to _The Rocky Horror Picture Show_ that I made. I threw that in there because it's one of the best movies in the universe ever.**


	5. Act V: Vices and Virtues

**A/N: ATTENTION THOSE WITH DEVIANTART ACCOUNTS! I will start submitting fake screenshots for Code Lyoko II! I will do two or three per chapter :) I'll have a poll for each chapter each week in order to decide which to do (I already have one in mind for each chapter, so I'll let you all decide the other two). I will have a link to the gallery folder they'll be in on my profile sometime soon.**

**By the way, expect a holiday fic sometime around Christmas. It'll probably be submitted after Christmas, but late is better than nothing, right?**

* * *

**Act V- Vices and Virtues**

~_No way! There's no way we're selling out one of our friends for the likes of you!~_

* * *

_**Paris, France Factory**_

"The activated tower is in the ice sector." Jeremie Belopis said as he typed on the keyboard of the supercomputer. Everything was coming back to him, from the virtualization process to the time travel program. Even after three years, he still remembered everything.

"You guys ready?" Jeremie asked.

"As we'll ever be," Ulrich said.

Ulrich, Yumi, and William each stepped into a scanner. "Scanner, Ulrich. Scanner, Yumi. Scanner, William."

The trio felt the familiar sensation of the scanner scanning them. Strangely, it felt… right.

"Transfer, Ulrich. Transfer, Yumi. Transfer, William."

The trio was slowly lifted off the base of the scanner…

"Virtualization!"

…Then they disappeared. The scanners opened, and Odd and Aelita stepped in. Jeremie completed the same process with them.

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector**_

Aelita and Odd landed on the ground of the ice sector. Something felt… different.

"Uh… guys?" Ulrich asked, "Am I the only one seeing other people?"

The group looked around and saw that Ulrich was right. There were many people, buildings, and a gigantic ice castle at the center of the town.

"Jeremie… what is this?" Aelita asked.

"_They must be NPCs…_" Jeremie said.

"English please?" Odd asked.

Before Jeremie had a chance to answer, Ulrich said, "Non-playable Character. Surely a gamer like you would know that."

"_Yeah, what Ulrich said. Anyway, stay away from them for now. We don't know if they're XANA's minions."_

"Right…"

Jeremie's end went quiet, which must have meant he was doing something else, such as checking the coordinates or the cameras in the factory. This gave the Lyoko Warriors a chance to actually look at each other.

Aelita wore a pink and purple cropped top with a heart insignia and silver armor on her shoulders. She wore a short pink skirt, light purple leggings, and pink and purple boots. She had white wrist-length gloves that would remind anyone of Bugs Bunny and a pink choker with a beautiful purple stone. Strapped to her left leg was a small dagger in a purple sheath. Her pink hair was tied back into a ponytail with a purple bow.

Ulrich wore a black, red, and yellow shirt and jacket with silver armor on his shoulders. He wore yellow armbands and silver elbow-length fingerless gloves. His pants were also red, black, and yellow. He had black, red, and yellow boots and a black holster on his left hip containing something unknown to the warriors.

Odd was decked out in a red and purple sleeveless jacket that cut off just above his belly button. Like Ulrich and Aelita, he too had silver armor on his shoulders. He had a red armband on his left arm and a purple one on his right. He had a black belt (at which Ulrich scoffed at to himself) and purple and red bell-bottom pants with red and black boots. His hands had been replaced with big, purple cat gloves with claws and his ears have been replaced with cat ears.

Yumi was wearing a beautiful long-sleeved black dress and cut off mid-thigh. She had a dark red sash and lighter red leggings and black high-heeled boots. Her fans were in a holster strapped to her leg for easy access. Her silky ebony bangs were pinned back with a beautiful red hairpin. She, too, wore silver armor on her shoulders.

William was dressed in a long black and red jacket that cut off at his knees and a black vest underneath with red TRON-like accents. He wore black pants and dark red boots. He wore a pair of black elbow-length gloves with red fingerless gloves over them. Like the other warriors, he too wore silver armor on his shoulders.

"_The tower is in the opposite direction of the city._" Jeremie said, "_It's in a cave near the edge of the sector."_

"Right, right." Ulrich said, "Let's go."

As the warriors ran in the direction of the tower, nobody, not even Jeremie, noticed the six figures overlooking them.

"Eh, they don't look so tough." Wrath remarked, "When do we get to attack, La- er, XANA?"

"**We attack when they are about halfway to the tower. We do not want to give Aelita the chance to slip into the tower in the middle of a fight.**" XANA replied in her distorted voice.

"Ugh, that's too long!" Wrath yelled.

"If you ask me," Sloth said, "I find it perfect. I have time to come up with an effective strategy."

"Forget strategy!" Gluttony said, "I'm hungry for some power! Perhaps I'll make a meal out of the traitor… not, I haven't had cat for a while. Well, maybe some samurai would be great, too…"

Lust sighed as she touched up her make-up. "Gluttony, honey, men are for seducing, not eating… at least, not the samurai. Do whatever you want to the cat and traitor, I want the samurai as my slave."

"No way, slut. I'm killing him." Wrath said.

"**Enough. They're almost halfway there. Let's move.**"

* * *

_**Paris, France- Factory**_

Jeremie had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. He wasn't sure _**what**_ that bad thing was, but he was sure it was going to happen soon.

_XANA should have sent some monsters by now. _

Immediately, Jeremie sees something on the screen.

"Guys! There's something or someone following you… and they're coming in fast!"

"_We read you loud and clear, Einstein!_"

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector**_

The Lyoko Warriors stop and face the direction they came. Sure enough, there were people coming.

One of them was a girl in green flying towards them with demonic wings. Another was a girl in skimpy clothing. The third was a boy in green running like a cat. The fourth was a boy with a Zweihander in his hands. The fifth was a boy running faster than the others, running almost eagerly towards the warriors. The final was in a bodysuit and helmet with some kind of pattern on the helm and suit.

As they got closer, Aelita noticed something.

"Oh my God… they look like us!"

Aelita was right. Five of the six that were running towards the group looked almost exactly like the Lyoko Warriors. In fact, the only differences were the colours of their clothing, hair, and eyes, and their outfits were torn.

The six though… the sixth was dresses in a bodysuit with XANA symbols all over.

"Is… is that…"

"No. It can't be." William said, "XANA is an artificial intelligence. It can't have a body! I'd know if it did!"

"**Do not try to escape. It is impossible.**"

"Jeremie, can you-"

"**All connections to Jeremie have been terminated. Sorry, but I cannot let you escape.**"

"Who are you?!" Ulrich demanded.

"**No concern of yours. Hand over the princess, and I will consider letting you all leave.**"

"No way! There's no way we're selling out one of our friends for the likes of you!"

The figure- a woman- sighed. "**I warned you. It looks like we will be doing this the hard way. Dark Lyoko Warriors, terminate them. Keep the princess alive. I do not care what you do with the others.**" The woman disappeared into silver smoke.

When the woman disappeared, the girl with demonic wings landed in front of Aelita. "I'll be honest- usually, I just eat what I'm given… but when it comes to food like this, well, let's just say I'm guilty for playing around with it. I suppose you expect an introduction before you're dead, right?"

The Lyoko Warriors said nothing as she walked closer to Aelita.

"I am Gluttony Gourmandizing, the vice of voraciousness. And you, princess…" Gluttony opened her mouth and with her long pink tongue licked her lips. "You look delicious."

The girl wearing skimpy clothing approached Ulrich. "Hey there, handsome. The name's Lust Covetousness. Obviously, I'm the vice of desire. It's not every day I see one so… sexy." Her lips came extremely close to Ulrich's and she was just about to kiss him when the boy dressed like Ulrich pushed her to the ground.

"Don't mind the slut. I'm Wrath Ire, vice of rage. I'm looking forward to killing you in the slowest and most painful way imaginable."

The cat-boy flipped over Odd, and in a mock James Bond accent, said, "The Name's Conceit. Pride Conceit. I'm the vice of vanity."

The teen with the Zweihander sighed. "And I'm Sloth Indolence, the vice of idleness, blah, blah, blah, evil laugh, et cetera, et cetera."

"Wow, Sloth, you just totally killed the mood."

"So what?! Can we just get this over with?! I have a program to watch that is on in less than thirty minutes, and if I don't catch it, I'll be worse than Wrath."

"Okay, okay, jeez."

Immediately, Ulrich was caught off-guard with a punch to his stomach from Wrath. Wrath cackled evilly, "I thought you were a skilled warrior! Apparently not, if you can't even see that coming!"

Wrath was too busy bragging to notice Ulrich had recovered quickly and, within moments, was on the ground.

Wrath smirked, "I stand corrected."

While Wrath and Ulrich were in the middle of hand-to-hand combat, Gluttony and Aelita were in an aerial battle above one of the lakes in the ice sector.

_The lakes in the ice sector are harmless- but I can't afford to land in one. From this height, I'll lose life points… plus, it will impede my ability to fly._

"Energy field!" Aelita yelled. A ball of fiery pink light formed in her hand. She tossed it at Gluttony. Gluttony attempted to fly away, but was hit in one of her wings. She let out a shriek as she fell into the lake.

Aelita landed near the lake and made her wings disappear. She was expecting Gluttony to do the same when, in an eruption of water, Gluttony shot out of the crystal water and into the air.

"Dainty little angel wings like yours would impede your flying ability, that's true… but mine are dragon wings, honey. I can fly as much as I want, even when they're wet."

Aelita summoned her wings once again and took to the sky.

Odd and Pride, rather than doing a physical battle, were seeing how far they could throw rocks on another ice lake. So far, Odd was winning.

"You call that a throw?!" Pride asked. Odd nodded. "This here, this is a throw!" Pride launched a rock towards the lake. It skipped several times across the lake until it shattered over on the other side.

"No fair! You cheated!" Odd accused.

"What? Me?"

"Yeah, you!"

Pride tackled Odd to the ground.

While Odd and Pride had their petty fight, Yumi and Lust were doing a similar thing Wrath and Ulrich were doing.

"I gotta say, the samurai over there is pretty damn sexy." Lust remarked, "I was so close to making him my slave… then that major turn-off Wrath shoved me out of the way!"

"You stay away from Ulrich!" Yumi growled, throwing her fans at Lust.

"Ooh, somebody's jealous! Is he your boyfriend?"

"N-no! W-we're just really good friends!"

"Oh, look at that blush! I'll enjoy stealing him from you~!"

William was breathing hard after a flurry of attacks towards Sloth, who deflected each and every one of them.

"If you ask me, I think you're trying too hard." Sloth said, "It's what makes you so predictable."

"Shut up!" William said.

"I may be incredibly lazy, but I'm very smart. I **know** what I need to do to defeat you, and every other Lyoko Warrior, within minutes."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"Wear. Them. Out." Sloth spat out each word slowly, as though William were retarded.

"Aw, hell." He mumbled under his breath. Sloth now had the upper hand.

* * *

_**Paris, France- Factory**_

"This isn't good… all communications have been cut off. Scanners have been cut off. Hell, even the pain simulator has been turned on. This really isn't good."

Jeremie is typing as fast as possible, being wary of any mistakes he makes. If he could at least get the scanners back online, this will solve half of the problems.

"Almost done… please, please, please don't let anyone get devirtualized."

He hit the enter key after checking for any errors in the anti-virus. The scanners were back online.

"Great… now for communications."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry... had to end the chapter somewhere...**

**I'll quickly explain the concept of the NPCs...**

**As stated, they are _Non-Playable_ Characters, kind of like Moria and Ian from Gaia Online. The NPCs on Lyoko were in fact programmed by Lady Xanadu (A.K.A. XANA 2.0) but are considered neutral. Lady Xanadu chose to let them pick their own sides to make it more fun. They're like Moogles from Kingdom Hearts- they'll lighten your load, or, better yet, your wallet. The NPCs in each sector vary:**

**Ice Sector NPCs are peaceful mystics. War is frowned upon. Their skills as architects is second to none!**

**Desert Sector NPCs are constantly at war. They're currently at war with themselves. They just can't help themselves...**

**Mountain Sector NPCs are nomadic. They've perfected the are of hunting and gathering as well. They get along well with most sectors and always remain neutral.**

**Forest Sector NPCs are ones with nature. Everything, from the grass they step on to the trees above, is living, and they only eat plants that have died of natural causes. They have a god for everything, from the dirt to the sun!**

**The NPCs of Sector Five are very, very smart. They have to be smart to protect the core of Lyoko! Plus, their mind games never cease to puzzle people.**


	6. Act VI: Emulations

**A/N: Listening to K-Pop, Daft Punk, and music from Code Lyoko and Tron really gets those creative juices flowing...**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS! I swear to god (if there is one) that I'll have a Christmas fic submitted today or tomorrow!**

* * *

**Act VI- Emulations**

~ _After all, being sensible is just not sensible.~_

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"Ulrich? Now, where could that knabe be?"

Lillie Cohen was walking through the small café in search of her grandson, who was here minutes ago. She was well aware that teenagers had lives outside of school and work, but he always helped set up for Saturaday nights. It was unlike him to leave in the middle of setting up.

"This is very unlike him. Usually he would have left a- oh, here's a note."

_Oma,_

_Sorry, had something important to do! Be back soon to finish setting up!_

_Ulrich_

Lillie chuckled, "Ah, that lad… I wonder what it was that he had to do."

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector**_

"_Guys! You have to get to the tower, now!_"

"Good to hear your voice again, Jeremie." Aelita said.

"As for getting to the tower, though… well, we kinda have our hands tied." Ulrich said, dodging another blow from Wrath.

_It'd be easier to take care of business if I had a weapon…_

As if on cue, a black and silver spear appeared in his hand. The blade of the spear was intimidatingly large and sharp, looking like it would really hurt if you were to be stabbed with it. The other end of the spear had a smaller but just as intimidatingly sharp as the other end. Etched into the blade was _Nocturne I_. A sapphire was embedded into the base of the blade, and around it was a cobalt frame. The spear was long, probably as tall (or taller) as Ulrich was. Plus, it was really heavy.

"Whoa… and I thought my katanas were awesome…" Ulrich murmured.

"So, you finally figured out how to summon your weapons! Finally, I was getting tired of going easy on you…" Wrath summoned a spear of his own. It was white and gold with a similar sapphire in the base of its blade. Unlike Ulrich's _Nocturne I_, it only had one blade, and it was about medium-sized. Ulrich could see something etched into the blade, but he couldn't make it out.

Wrath charged at Ulrich, and their spears connected. Ulrich could now see the engraving on the blade- _Rancorous Apparition._

"That's a pretty intimidating spear for one so weak. I hear that _Nocturnes_ are pretty heavy… far different from katanas, am I right?" Wrath asked.

"Yeah, I guess… but they're easy to handle if you're familiar with weaponry." Ulrich remarked.

"I can see you're not used to spheres."

"The same could be said to you."

Wrath's eyes glitter evilly, "True… but, unlike you, I know how to fix that little issue."

Wrath jumped away from Ulrich. Ulrich tried to take advantage of the situation by swinging his gigantic (and heavy) spear at the vice of rage, but Wrath was just too fast.

Wrath's spear disappears and is replaced by two light katanas, each with an engraving etched into the blade.

_Seriously, what's with the engravings?_

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"Now, let's see… how do I tune this?"

Lillie had the acoustic guitar in her arms, looking at the electronic tuner Ulrich had conveniently left behind on the keyboard. She was still trying to figure out how to work it.

"Verflixte sache. I'll just leave this for Ulrich to tune… I guess I'll just get everything else set up."

* * *

_**Paris, France- Factory**_

"_Jeremie, Wrath just changed weapons! What's happening?_"

"He's your clone, right? Maybe you have the same ability." Jeremie replied.

_It's strange… Wrath's ID card changed as well. He and Ulrich are the only ones with titles such a samurai or warrior… and for Wrath, it changed from warrior to samurai. But both still say 'summoner' even after Wrath changed…_

Jeremie's eyes widened in realization.

"Ulrich, he's a summoner! And, according to your ID card, so are you! You're able to change weapons yourself."

"…_How?_"

"Now that, I don't know."

"_Thanks for the help Jeremie._" Ulrich said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Aelita, how's it going on your end?"

"_Gluttony's strong! I don't know how much longer I can hold her off!_"

"Hang in there, Aelita. Hopefully Odd, William, or Yumi will finish up with their opponents to help you."

"_Alright._"

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector**_

"Hey! Don't you dare run away! I'm not finished with you just yet!"

Yumi was chasing after Lust, anger visible in her eyes. "Oh no, I'm not dying today!" Lust yelled. She dodged one of Yumi's fans.

She stopped where the ice met the digital sea. Taking a quick glimpse back at Yumi, she said, "We'll meet again, hon, and when we do, you're the one who's gonna run away." Lust dived into the digital sea.

"Coward." Yumi said. She looked up to the sky and saw Gluttony and Aelita were still fighting.

"_Yumi, can you assist Aelita?_" Jeremie asked.

"No problem, Jeremie."

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"Last call for anyone interested in performing tonight! Sign up here!" Lillie called. A couple costumers got up to sign up on the list. It took about five minutes before everyone was done (after she checked once more) signing up. She checked the list of acts.

_Sissi Delmas- "Starships" by Nicki Minaj_

_Emilie LeDuc- "My Immortal" by Evanescence_

_Laura Gauthier- "Alice" by Avril Lavigne on piano_

_Anais Fiquet- "Sweet Transvestite" on saxophone_

_Christophe M'Bala- "My Name Is" by Eminem_

_Ulrich Stern- "Freak on a Leash" by Korn_

_Odd Della Robbia- "Bad Romance" by Artist vs Poet (Originally by Lady Gaga)_

_Garage Kids- "Whisper" by Evanescence_

_Kadic Academy Jazz Ensemble- "Doxy" by Sonny Rollins (Arr. Mark Taylor)_

_The Machine- "Mechanized" Composed and Arranged by Box Six_

_The Nocturnes- "Feeling Good" by Muse_

"Okay, looks like that's all in order…" Lillie said, "Now, what is taking Ulrich so long?"

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector**_

Odd had managed to take Pride down and was now helping Yumi and Aelita out with Gluttony. Meanwhile, William was still having trouble with Sloth.

"I can't believe I'm your clone, ignoramus." Sloth said, "Even a child knows to proceed with caution when opposed with an unknown opponent."

"I'm not that kind of guy." William said, "After all, _being sensible is just not sensible._"

"That makes no sense."

"Oh, well."

William backed away from Sloth until he bumped into something. He turned his head and saw that he bumped into Ulrich, who looked about as exhausted as he was.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold him off. He's tough." Ulrich said.

"Same here." William said.

"Any ideas?"

"How 'bout we team up?" William asked, "We may not get along, but we do make a kickass team."

"Yeah, I guess we do." Ulrich said with a smirk.

"On three, we switch opponents." William said. Ulrich nodded.

"One… two… three!"

Faster than either Wrath or Sloth could blink, the teens switched places. Ulrich charged at Sloth while William ran towards Wrath. The change in opponents caught both off-guard, especially Sloth.

"Super sprint!" Ulrich yelled. His speed increased and he ran behind Sloth. He kicked the vice of idleness in the back of the knee, causing him to fall. Before he had the chance to recover, Ulrich had the large, intimidating blade of the _Nocturne I_ at Sloth's throat.

"Hmph… I suppose defeat was inevitable." Sloth said, "Might as well quit now, yes?"

Ulrich pushed the blade closer to hit throat.

"I'll take that as a yes. Super smoke!" Sloth turned into white smoke and floated towards the digital sea.

Wrath was about to unleash a vicious attack on the warriors when Gluttony fell to the ground and landed with a _**thump**_ next to him. He had five warriors in front of him, prepared to attack.

"I know when I can't win." Wrath said with a vicious smirk, "I guess I should just leave. But, before I do, I might as well leave a parting gift."

Wrath snapped his fingers and two large, white wolves appeared. He lifted Gluttony up into his arms and ran towards the digital sea.

"Aelita, Odd, go to the tower. Ulrich, William and I can handle these guys." Yumi said.

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector (Activated Tower)**_

"_You guys should hurry! Yumi's been devirtualized and Ulrich and William are down to ten life points each._"

"Alright. Aelita, you deactivate the tower. I'll go help Ulrich and William." Odd said.

Aelita nodded and entered the tower.

Upon entering the tower, she felt at ease, knowing that once she deactivates the tower, everything will be alright. As she's lifted up to the next level, she feels something inside her, something she just can't put her finger on. As she puts her hand on the screen, the feeling grows.

As the words _**Code: Lyoko**_ appear on the screen, she remembers that feeling was the same she got from deactivating towers in the past.

As the blinding light from the tower engulfs her, and sends her back in time, she realizes that it's the feeling of doing something right.

_**Return to the past, now…**_

* * *

**A/N: Sucky ending is sucky. **

**I'm going to take a minute to explain the song choices I have in this fic...**

_**Whisper**_**- It's a really cool song! It starts of with a sweet rhythm and ends with a Latin Chorus repeating some really cool latin lines.(For the record, Garage Kids is what I'm calling the Lyoko Warrior's band... they didn't really give a name for it, and if they did, I missed it.)**

_**Doxy- **_**This is actually a song we're working on for Jazz II for one of the biggest jazz festivals ever. It's one of Sonny Rollins' best songs- I suggest you listen to it.**

_**Mechanized-**_** Marching Band show from this past summer, just because it was one of Decatur Central's most popular shows. Also, there's this killer dance break at the end...**

**Once again, Merry Christmas, and have a rockin' New Year.**


	7. Act VII- Performance

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR, GUYS! What a better way to celebrate than our favorite group of warriors singing? Well, actually, it's pretty much Ulrich and Yumi singing, but... yeah.**

* * *

**Act VII- Performance**

~_ I didn't need an explanation, you know. ~_

* * *

_**Paris, France- William's Room**_

"I don't believe this… how could the super computer have just turned back on like that?" Jeremie asked.

"Perhaps someone turned it on without our knowledge?" Aelita suggested.

"No. I checked the surveillance cameras in the factory. Nobody other than us has been down here in the past three years."

"This makes no sense. How on earth could XANA have switched the supercomputer back on?" William said.

"That, I don't know. What I do know is that Lyoko has changed greatly since our last encounter… I think we should check that out." Jeremie said, "Who knows, the NPCs might just be able to help us."

"Okay, but not tonight. The Garage Kids are performing at the Clarabella Café later." Yumi said.

"Garage Kids? What happened to the Pop Rock Progressives?" Jeremie asked.

"Changed our name." Ulrich said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta rehearse. I've got a third performance to worry about that I didn't expect until this morning and I'd rather not screw it up. Oh, are we still performing _Whisper_ or did we switch to something else?"

"We're doing _Bring Me to Life_ instead. We'll do _Whisper_ some other time." Yumi replied.

"Third performance?" William asked.

"I'm filling in for Davhie in Priscilla's band, the Nocturnes." Ulrich left the room, bag in hand, "Come by later on and we'll rehearse our song. See you later, guys."

"Alright. See you later, Ulrich." Yumi said.

"Now, where were we… oh, right… the NPCs."

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

"Ugh… what happened?" Gluttony asked.

"It's about time you came to. I was just about to kill you." Wrath said.

"Wrath. Save it for later." Lady Xanadu said. She was still in her XANA 2.0 attire, minus the helm, "We must discuss your failure."

"Fine." Wrath said, rolling his pupiless red eyes.

Lady Xanadu snapped her fingers. Five holo-screens popped up, each with a Lyoko Warrior and their statistics on a screen. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong…" she said, "But you all are clones of the Lyoko Warriors, yes?" The clones nodded. "And you all have the same powers and weaknesses as they do, yes?" Again, another nod. "Then, how is it possible that you were defeated by them? You have their powers and more!"

"They overpowered us!" Pride said.

"Correction- they overpowered you and the skank. Gluttony was shot down after wearing out the princess and Sloth and I were defeated only after the samurai and the traitor switched on us." Wrath said.

"Did you just defend us?" Sloth asked.

"Shut up, you."

"Even so, I expect more from you. One more failure and you'll regret it." Lady Xanadu said.

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"_Fish in the sea, you know how I feel… river running free, you know_- Okay, stop! STOP!"

"What. Now. Priscilla." Ulrich growled after stopping for the fifth time.

"Yeah, what the heck? This is the fifth time you stopped us. What's wrong this time?" Elena-or-Helena asked.

"Ulrich is out of time again." Priscilla said.

"I'm going at the speed of the actual song." Ulrich said, "If you're against staying on tempo, then find another replacement for your synthesizer. I'm sure Davhie would be glad to come and play with a broken arm. Or you could do it yourself. I have to rehearse for other performances anyway."

"Fine! Leave! I don't care!" Priscilla said.

"Priscilla! We need him!" Helena-or-Elena said.

"We do not! We do not! I'm the leader of this band, so what I say goes!"

"Okay then, miss band leader." Ulrich said, "Would you mind leaving the shop? We have another band coming to rehearse in a few minutes, and I don't think they'd appreciate your company."

Priscilla just glares at Ulrich as she, Helena, Elena, and Matt left the café.

* * *

_**Lyoko- Unknown Sector**_

"Aren't we going to launch another attack?" Wrath asked Lady Xanadu.

Lady Xanadu sighed, "No. Activating a tower, teleporting monsters, and creating you all is exhausting. I can only do so much before I need to recharge, and this attack took far too much energy. Had I not needed to restart the supercomputer, perhaps I could've activated a second tower to serve as a proxy, but that could not be accomplished. Now, leave me, Wrath. I still have things to do."

"Tch, fine. I didn't need an explanation, you know."

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"_I am the clown with the tear-away face, here in a flash and gone without a-_"

"Dude! I thought you were performing _Freak on a Leash_!" Odd yelled.

"Uh… no. My slot was empty when I came back, so I decided to do Marilyn Manson's version of _This is Halloween_." Ulrich said, "Did you fill in my slot before we went to Lyoko?"

"Yes, but it should- oh, I forgot about the return trip…"

"Uh… yeah. Sorry, Odd." Jeremie said, "I had to cover all of our bases."

"Eh… maybe next week." Odd said.

"So, how did you get your voice to get all gravely and stuff?" William asked. He had mysteriously ended up behind Ulrich.

"Practice, patience, and several bags of cough drops." Ulrich said, "If I wanted to, I could get through an entire Dillinger Escape Plan song without losing my voice. But, for good measure, I've programmed my synthesizer to distort my voice-" Ulrich pressed a button on his synthesizer, "And I'm able to get the same effect without tearing up my throat." His voice came out distorted and creepy.

"You can program a synthesizer, but you can't pass pre-calculus?" Jeremie asked.

Ulrich scratched the back of his head, "It's easier to understand, actually."

"We should probably start rehearsing our number. Y'know, if you're done, Ulrich." Yumi said.

"Yeah, let's get on with it." Ulrich said.

* * *

_**Lyoko- Ice Sector**_

Lady Xanadu is typing on one of the many holo-screens in her room of the Ice Castle. It was a journal of some sort, one that detailed everything that has occurred within the past three years as well as her activities as XANA 2.0. She was sure to stay alert, in case one of the guards was to request entry into her room or should a citizen request to speak with her.

Lady Xanadu saved the entry and made the holo-screens disappear. She got up to leave her room. As she walked out the door, she saw a guard running towards her.

"Lady Xanadu!"

"Yes, Azure, what is it?" Lady Xanadu asked.

"Damine of the Forest Sector wishes to speak with you via video chat. She says it's very important." Azure said.

"Alright. Please tell Damine that I will speak to her in a moment."

"Yes, Lady Xanadu!"

* * *

_**Paris, France- Clarabella Café**_

"Let's have another round of applause for Odd Della Robbia! Next up, we have the Garage Kids performing _Bring me to Life_ by Evanescence."

Ulrich began to play the keyboard for a few seconds before Yumi started to sing.

"_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
until you find it there and lead it back home…_"

The music stops for just a second before Ulrich leaves the piano and comes in with Paul McCoy's part.

"_Wake me up!"  
"Wake me up inside,"  
"I can't wake up!"  
"Wake me up inside,"  
"Save me!"  
"Call my name and save me from the dark!"  
"Wake me up!"  
"Bid my blood to run,"  
"I can't wake up!"  
"Before I come undone,"  
"Save me!"  
"Save me from the nothing I've become!"_

William plays his short, two-ish measure solo on guitar before Yumi comes back in.

"_Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life…"_

Once again, Ulrich brings in the chorus.

"_Wake me up!"  
"Wake me up inside,"  
"I can't wake up!"  
"Wake me up inside,"  
"Save me!"  
"Call my name and save me from the dark!"  
"Wake me up!"  
"Bid my blood to run,"  
"I can't wake up!"  
"Before I come undone,"  
"Save me!"  
"Save me from the nothing I've become!"  
__"__Bring me to life…"  
"I've been living a lie… there's nothing inside!"  
"Bring me to life…  
frozen inside without your touch  
Without your love, darling  
only you are the life among the dead!"_

Ulrich and Yumi come in with the duet that Amy and Paul do in the song.

"_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see,  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me."  
"I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything."  
"Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul,  
don't let me die here!  
There must be something more!"  
"Bring me to life!"_

"_Wake me up!"  
"Wake me up inside,"  
"I can't wake up!"  
"Wake me up inside,"  
"Save me!"  
"Call my name and save me from the dark!"  
"Wake me up!"  
"Bid my blood to run,"  
"I can't wake up!"  
"Before I come undone,"  
"Save me!"  
"Save me from the nothing I've become!"_

The song starts to come to an end…

"_Bring me to life…"  
"I've been living a lie… there's nothing inside!"  
"Bring me to life!"_

Yumi holds out the final chord of the song as Ulrich goes back to playing the piano. The song ends, and the applause is heard.

"Great job." Yumi said.

"Thanks. You, too." Ulrich said.

* * *

**A/N****: THIS CHAPTER IS POOP! However, it's much better than what it was a week ago. I had to restart this chapter about three times until I got it to look like this.**

_**Feeling Good**_** is the first song I ever heard by Muse. I listened to this song on repeat for a few hours and I completed an important project within hours. So, I decided to at least emntion it.**

**The Marilyn Mansion version of _This is Halloween_ is one of my favorite covers ever. I also like the Panic! At the Disco version, but I felt this version was a little darker.**

_**Bring me to Life**_** by Evanescence is the first Evanescence song I listened to and I fell in love with it. Originally, I wanted to use _Whisper_, but decided to use this one instead.**

**Once again, happy New Year!**


End file.
